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Four Reasons You Are Tired All The Time

Fatigue is the no 1 complaint I see again and again in my clinic and when I give public talks which is why I’ve written a new blog post on the key reasons people are tired all the time. You’d be surprised at what they are AND how easy it is to feel more energised by making a few simple changes. What are they?

1) You’re not eating the right foods

Most people think they are eating a healthy diet but when I look at their food diaries they are not as optimal as they could be!

The easiest thing to change, if you want energy, is your diet. There are foods that give you energy and we need to be sure we are consuming these on a daily basis. Healthy proteins such as chicken, eggs, quinoa and fish are required at each meal to balance blood glucose. Slow release carbohydrates such as lentils, brown rice, butternut squash and kidney beans literally fuel your muscles with glucose. And healthy fats such as avocados, nuts and oily fish are essential in the make up of a healthy diet to give your body energy everyday. Each meal should have a balance of proteins, carbs and fats in a 40:40:30 ratio.

Conversely there are three foods that zap your energy – sugar, caffeine and alcohol. So if you want energy every day it’s advisable to avoid these foods and replace them with the ones mentioned above.

2) You’re lacking in key nutrients

Stress, alcohol and excessive exercise can rob the body of essential energy nutrients such as B vitamins, magnesium and iron. If your diet is good but you still feel tired then it may be time to get tested for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. There are many tests out there that do this and a standard blood test for these is advisable but the one I use a lot with my clients, because of it’s accuracy, is a hair mineral analysis test. This measures the minerals in your tissues and identifies the ones you are lacking in. Please email me on [email protected] for more info.

3) You’re not sleeping enough

Adults aged between 26 and 64 need between 7 – 9 hrs per night. If you are skimping on your sleep you will not function optimally during the day. Sleep is absolutely PARAMOUNT for good, daily energy. AND the hours of sleep you get between 10pm and midnight are the most boosting and refreshing. So get to bed early and be asleep before midnight. You will feel much more alive when you wake up as a result!

4) You’re doing too much

Here is an outline of the average client I see in my clinic who is female and lives and works in London …

7am Alarm goes off and all new emails are checked on her iPhone

7.30am She jumps in the shower, has a cup of coffee, skips breakfast, and runs to the station to jump on a hot and crowded tube

8am Arrives at the office and has another cup of coffee. Still no food and frantically replies to all emails. Boss comes over and dumps a new load of work on her which has to be completed by end of the week.

9am – 12pm Rushing around to morning meetings which invariably leads to new ‘to do’ lists longer than her arm

12pm – Gets an email from her best friend reminding her to organise her baby shower in 2 weeks.

1pm Lunch on the go. Quick stop at Pret for a chicken wrap.

2-4pm More internal meetings at work plus an ongoing argument with a colleague and now a phone call from her boyfriend complaining that they don’t see each other enough.

4pm Absolutely starving so grabs anything in sight – chocolate, biscuits or a slice of cake left over from a colleagues birthday. Plus another cup of coffee.

5.30pm – Clocks off early as feeling tired but drags herself to the gym for a gruelling training session for one hour.

6.30pm Gets home and crashes on the sofa due to exhaustion. Opens a bottle of wine to calm down.

7pm Finishes all work emails that were not sent and tries to complete a report

9pm Climbs into bed but too wired to sleep. Scrolls on instagram or watches netflix for stimulation.

12am Finally falls asleep for it all to start over again 😉

Does this sound familiar!? Thinking we are superwoman, doing too much, being overworked, taking on more than we can handle, drinking too much coffee, not eating the right foods and not sleeping enough are all ‘micro’ pressures that eventually take their toll.

Slowing down is the most important thing for energy. If we are spreading ourselves too thin then burnout is inevitable. Remember that rest is productive! And setting boundaries is as important as setting goals.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. Please share with someone who might benefit from this advice!